LEOPARD TO BOYCOTT GAME

MBABANE – Loggerheads.

The ‘war’ between Eswatini Football Association (EFA) and Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) rages on, as national team’s Sihlangu players were locked in camp at Lobamba Technical Centre as of yesterday afternoon, while they had the MTN Premier League game to honour today with their clubs. Royal Leopard Manager Richard ‘Danka’ Fakudze, said they got a directive from PLE to fetch their players from the Sihlangu camp. He said upon his arrival at the Technical Centre, the gate was locked and he was told that the players were not there.

Fakudze said if EFA continued to refuse to release the players, they would not attend the MTN Premier League game against Manzini Wanderers billed for Mhlume Stadium. “We won’t play tomorrow (today) without our players and we have written to PLE to inform them about this and they said we must go and fetch our players,” Fakudze said. MTN Premier League log leaders have seven players with the national team, Phephisani Msibi, Mlamuli Msibi, Sikhumbuzo Magagula, Machawe Dlamini, Mzwandile Mabelesa, Sifiso Matse and Junior Magagula, and this gives them a disadvantage over Manzini Wanderers who have one player in the national team in Neliso Dlamini.

failed

On the other hand, Mbabane Highlanders who have four players in striker Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa, defender Peter Dlamini, Philani Mkhontfo and goalkeeper Khanyakwezwe Shabalala, also went to the technical centre but failed to return with their stars. Inkunzi emnyama Benson Dlamini said the officials he found at the technical centre informed him that the players were in Mbabane to sort out travelling documents. Dlamini said if they eventually failed to have their players, they would have no choice but to honour the game without the four national team players. “What makes matters worse is that no one bothered to formally request our players. This is painful because the players belong to the teams and as we head towards month end we must pay them their salaries,” Dlamini said.

memo

Meanwhile, the PLE sent a memo to all the premier league teams informing them that the games slated for today would continue as scheduled. The memorandum, which was signed by Makhanya, states that the PLE clubs with players for national duty were informed that the PLE informed EFA in its correspondence on May 20, 2022 that the organisation would issue a full fixture for Week 29 to take place on Tuesday (today) May 24, 2022 and Week 30 to take place on Sunday May 29, 2022. It went on to state that the clubs were informed that both fixtures would go ahead as planned. The PLE further advised EFA that they would instruct clubs, to fully comply with Annexe 1 of the release of players to association teams under Article 1 Principles, wherein clubs  were obliged to release players to the national team on a mandatory basis, four days (including the day of the match), for matches on dates in the coordinated international match calendar. It finally revealed that as the national team’s match was scheduled for June 3, 2022, therefore, the mandatory release date for national team call-ups was on Monday May 30, 2022.

release

Makhanya’s response on what the PLE would do in the event that EFA failed to release the players back to their teams, at exactly 5:51pm said their position was clear. “The PLE’s position is very clear on this matter. PLE clubs must release players to the national team in line with the FIFA rules,” he said. Meanwhile, there was no immediate comment from Young Buffaloes, who have seven players with Sihlangu, as their CEO Sandile Gwebu’s phone rang unanswered and he did not respond to WhatsApp messages sent to him at 4:57pm.  
There are two remaining fixtures in the MTN Premier League.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: